No Rest For The Weary
by Atreides03
Summary: Just a collection of one-shots involving L. Please review, as I am very interested in your opinions! Now complete.
1. Too Many Names

**Hi, this is my first Death Note fanfic, so I hope that L will sound at least a bit like himself. (Beware, this has quite a bit of angst).**

 **Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own Ryuzaki (or any other characters, for that matter).**

 **Too Many Names**

Ryuga Hideki… Ryuzaki… Eraldo Coil… Deneuve… L. Five names, five masks among hundreds more. All describing one man. A great man, for sure, but still only a man. It doesn't matter if he is the best detective the world has ever seen, it doesn't matter if he's solved over three thousand five hundred cases in his short life. What matters is that he doesn't deserve all of these titles. He just does his part (or maybe more than his fair share) like every other human being living on this lonely ball of rock.

So why is it that he is called by all of these names? Oh, right. It's because he's afraid. He's afraid of dying. Of being struck down by a criminal because they, in turn, fear that he will catch them. But isn't everyone afraid of dying? Don't we all wonder about what will happen to us? Therefore, by this logic, he is normal. And yet no one else has as many names as he does! So, does he need all of these imaginary faces to hide behind? Maybe not. And yet because fear controls actions, he will never be rid of these names. He is just too afraid.

But really, can you give a name to someone who hides behind a screen, acting only through other people? No. That person is just a shadow, and shadows don't have names. So then why was he given such a unique one? _L Lawliet._ A name spelled almost nothing like how it is pronounced. Why did his parents bestow it upon him? Did they think that such a unique name would kindle within him the idea of being someone great? Unfortunately, he is no longer able to ask them, they are gone, dead. Ah, well. Some questions can never be answered. He'll just have to learn to live with that fact. And learn to live with his many names.

That is just part of the curse of being a great detective, that's all.

 **Please do review, I would greatly appreciate it. I am considering making this a collection of four one-shots, but will only do so if you tell me your wishes of this fic's continuation. Hope you enjoyed reading, and have a blessed rest of your day!  
**


	2. Farewell

**Hi! This is the second one-shot I promised you. I'll try to update on every other Saturday, okay?**

 **Farewell**

There are many things which people brag about. Some are in the end, meaningless, others can affect lives. But there is one thing about which only a few can boast, I being one of them. I personally knew the man once known as L. Knew him well enough that he told me a few stories about himself. And I am going to share those stories with you.

Hidden on the grounds of the orphanage known as Wammy's House, where only those searching for it will find, is a cemetery. Here are laid to rest A, B, and in later years, Quillsh Wammy and L Lawliet themselves. But as of then, those latter two were still very much alive.

On that day, 7 of February 2004, a lone figure stood facing the graves, one much newer than the other. In his own way, he was mourning their deaths. I can't say that he cried - it's just not in him to show emotion - but he did feel the loss.

He had never truly known A, had only seen him from afar, yet the fact that his first successor was a failure struck L hard. He blamed himself for A's death, to be honest. A had been driven to commit suicide by the pressure of one day having to live up to the title of L.

But the fault didn't lie in L. It was Wammy who had come up with the idea of L and a line of successors. The man known as L had no part in it, but the name did. L knew this, and yet he still felt guilt. He was human, after all.

It was the same with B. But this time, the guilt was more justified. L had seen the warning signs that had presented themselves long before the Wara Ningyo Murders. And he had paid no attention to them, even though they had plainly said that B was on the verge of insanity. Maybe if B was given the help he needed, he wouldn't be where he is now. Unfortunately, the past can never be overwritten. And this L knew.

So here he was, taking a long needed break from the Kira case, paying his respects to the deceased. Reminiscing on old memories of times long gone. But even that, in the end, has no meaning, except for a final farewell.

And, as always, duty calls. L turned away, and back to the case which he would still solve, even though it would cost him his life.

 **A/N 'Wara Ningyo Murders' is another name for the Los Angeles BB Murder Cases (LABB).**

 **Please tell me if you liked the narrative voice of this one-shot.**

 **Thanks for reading, and I'll see you in two weeks!**


	3. Brightest Star of All

**Brightest Star of All**

 **Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own Ryuzaki (or any other characters, for  
that matter).**

This is the second story which L shared with me, from when he was working on a case in the States. It's not a very long one, but L never did waste words.

L was standing alone on the roof of his current hotel. It was night, and since he was in a rural area, quite dark. It was late enough that most of the townsfolk would be in their homes. The air was a bit chilly, but not cold, even though it was almost winter.

Because there was no moon, the stars were visible. They shone like diamonds upon a swathe of black velvet. L scanned the sky and was able to pick out different pictures - constellations, as they were called. Canis Major and Minor were the dogs. Cancer the crab. Gemini, which is made up of the twins Castor and Pollux. And of course - Orion the Hunter, standing proudly in the heavens. The constellation itself was quite large, and L could just make out the third star in the sword by squinting his eyes.

To be honest, it actually wasn't even a star at all. Given the name Messier 42, the Great Orion Nebula was composed of a group of stars - a trapezium - lighting up clouds of dust and gas. It functioned as a nursery for young stars and helped them grow into the supergiants they were destined to become. _"Much like the orphanage where I grew up",_ L thought. _"A home for those who are in ways greater than the rest of their species."_

And there was another similarity between those stars and him. Stars eventually destroy themselves by doing what they are supposed to do, fusing elements. He, the greatest detective, by solving cases, creates enemies who wish to take him down. And when he is taken down, eliminated, killed, he shall go down like a supernova. A star whose demise is not noticed for many years because of wide expanse of space. In this way, he won't ever be missed by the very people he serves. But he will leave behind a legacy - a remnant of himself to light up the void of his absence.

 _Enough talk of death. As of now, I am still alive. I really should choose my successor, though…._ L slowly returned from his musings.

At the edge of the horizon, L could glimpse the oncoming dawn. It had to be around three in the morning. He had been outside for much longer than he thought. His musings finished, he headed back inside to where his latest case lay quietly waiting to be solved. His clients, on the other hand, weren't so patient.

" _Back to work it is, then."_

Of course, we know that L never did choose a successor, instead he had two, M and N. And they lived up to his name, didn't they?

 **This just came from a headcanon I had about L. I wanted him to know a thing or  
two about an object in the sky, so I picked the Orion Nebula, which is my  
personal favorite. Please do review, I would greatly appreciate it. Hope you enjoyed reading, and have a blessed rest of your day!  
**


	4. At Last, Cake

**At Last, Cake**

Hello, again.

Our story today starts off with a scene you are no doubt familiar with. The untimely death of a very great man.

"I knew this was going to happen. I knew Light Yagami is Kira. But why couldn't I act faster? Why couldn't I get all of the pieces? How could Light-kun best me?"- With that final thought, L closed his eyes and died.

Suddenly, there was a light shining from behind his eyelids. The light grew brighter and brighter until it was so bright that L couldn't stand it anymore. So, he opened his eyes.

And the light faded. L stood up. He could see a white staircase stretching up into the distance.

Looking around himself, L saw no way out of the room he was in. And so he began to climb.

With each step, L stood taller. He began to grin. He was free, he realized, free from the burdens of being the world's greatest detective. Free from worrying about whether or not someone would try to kill him. L began to move faster, running up the stairs. He was no longer tired.

Then groups of winged beings - angels, he realized - surrounded him. They were going in the same direction as he was. Soon enough, L saw blue sky, and then fields of green grass. He knew where he was - Heaven. A place of eternal peace, where he no longer had to solve another case.

There was a stream cutting through the grass ahead of him, and standing on the bank was a woman whom L recognized.

"Naomi Misora."

Naomi smiled brightly. "It's good to see you again, Ryuzaki. Or is it L?"

"L Lawliet. I believe I no longer have the need for pseudonyms." L answered easily.

"So will the detective L still exist?"

"Ah, yes. I do have successors."

"Then I suppose the world is in good hands, isn't it?"

L thought for a moment. "Yes, I suppose it is."

"Um, L?"

"Yes, Misora?"

"I hope you find peace here."

"I hope so too. It does seem to be a pretty peaceful place."

Naomi stammered. "I mean, n-not like it isn't peaceful, but I always thought that you preferred to work on cases rather than enjoy the world's beauty."

"Hm…. Well, yes, I do like to work on cases, but that doesn't mean I can't look outside the window once in awhile. And besides, as long as Light-kun stays far away from here, it will be peaceful."

"Oh, okay. Say, why don't we go get some cake?"

"That's the best idea I have heard in a long time. But might I ask where?"

"There's a small village with a bakery a bit to the west of here." Naomi said, pointing across the fields behind her.

And together, they went to share a cheesecake.

And indeed, L's time in that place we call heaven _was_ peaceful, with nary a mention of the serial killers running rampant here on earth today. As for who I am or how I know these stories written here, I'm just another face in the crowd, albeit I only go by the letter C. As for the rest, I'll leave that to your imagination.


End file.
